Closure forming apparatus

ABSTRACT

Closure forming apparatus for simultaneously securing a closure flange and a tag ring element to a container wall in a single punch press operation. A lower die assembly is designed to support an internally threaded closure flange and an upper die assembly releasably retains a tag ring element. Closing of the die upon a container wall section permanently secures both the closure flange and tag ring element about a container wall opening.

Apr. 1, 1975 United States Patent [1 1 Jesevich et al.

29/453 X 29/453 UX 2,325,929 8/1943 Amesbury et al.....

1 1 CLOSURE FORMING APPARATUS 2,662.646 McCain 2,799,971 7/1957 Brudney..... 3 10/1962 Inventors: John Jesevich, Cicero; Vyto Simkus,

Eckman Chicago, both of 111.

g .m r u t c a M n MN k m e m y mm N m km rI e m0 AC e n g m s A H 7 9/1971 Jeffree ct al.

XXX 32 $55 3 ll/ [9% W 2 a e flbm nme Tab 0h0 HCR 499 666 999 NH 626 26 429 69 327 333 [22] Filed: Oct. 25, 1973 [21] Appl. N0.: 409,388

Primary Examiner-Charlie T. Moon Related US. Application Data [62] Division of Ser. No. 131,258, April 5. 1971. Pat. No.

[57] ABSTRACT Closure forming apparatus for simultaneously securing a closure flange and a tag ring element to a container wall in a single punch press operation. A lower die assembly is designed to support an internally threaded closure flange and an upper die assembly releasably retains a tag ring element. Closing of the die upon a container wall section permanently secures both the 4 Q D S 41 319001 1 102 2., 3 B a l 5 4 00 3 8 s 2 m3E W 2 W2 1 5/ D an m "M n NW0d 9 "2 2 m m P n u 0 M m0 32 u i S2 IL C '05 dW S flZ U .mF 3 o m 5 55 closure flange and tag ring element about a container wall opening.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1.777.772 10/1931) 29/24352 3 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures Pmmmm usrs 3.814.058

SHEET 1 of 2 f 5 w LY [j 176% CLOSURE FORMING APPARATUS This Application is a divisional application of Ser. No. 131,258 filed Apr. 5, 1971 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,401 entitled Method of Making Container Closure Construction".

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the industrial container field, particularly in the fabrication of steel drums, it has long been the practice to mechanically secure a closure flange, for reception of a threaded plug, within an opening formed in a container wall. One method of inserting flanges in container walls has been carried out by a metal working die which forms an opening in the container wall and mechanically inserts the flange in a single operation. In many instances, however, it is desirable to also include an annular tag ring in the insertion which surrounds the upstanding container wall opening neck and is permanently held in place by the outwardly curled bead at the upper-most end of the flange neck. One function of such tag ring is to provide an effective means for securing a tag for identifying the container contents. In many instances tag rings also serve as means for affixing a wire and lead seal which is threaded through the closure plug for tamperproofing purposes. In addition, with the increasing trend toward the use of lighter guage metal in the fabrication of industrial shipping containers, it is advantageous to employ such tag rings for reinforcing the container wall opening neck to meet necessary strength requirements.

Heretofore, it was thought only possible to include such tag ring by hand feeding in flange insertions carried out in a two-step operation wherein the container wall is perforated and the surrounding container wall opening neck drawn upwardly therearound in a first punch press operation. In the second operation, the flange neck is inserted within the container wall opening from beneath whereby the tag ring could be placed over the container wall opening cxteriorally surrounding the opening neck. The upper end of the flange neck is then curled outwardly so as to permanently secure the flange and the tag ring to the underlying container wall opening neck. The above described two operation flange insertion arrangement, however, is relatively costly and unsuited for high speed container fabricating processes.

The invention is particularly adaptable to the application of tag ring elements in a single operation flange insertion arrangement. This is accomplished by feeding flanges and tag ring elements into a die for insertion within a container wall in a single stroke of the press. More specifically, a flange is fed into the lower half of the die together with the feeding of a tag ring element into the upper half of the die. A container wall is then positioned in the die between the flange and tag ring element. The press is cycled, causing a perforating punch in the upper die to move downwardly through the tag ring element and perforate the container wall. Continued downward movement of the upper die causes a neck to be drawn upwardly about the container wall opening with the tag ring element positioned in overlying concentric relationship about the opening neck. Final closing of the die forms the container wall down mer the flange and curls the upper end of the flange neck outwardly about the container wall opening neck and tag ring element, permanently securing the flange and the tag ring element to the container wall.

It is accordingly a primary object of the invention to provide a new apparatus for securing closure flanges and tag ring elements to container walls in a single operation.

Other and more detailed objects of the invention will in part be obvious and be in part pointed out as the description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing proceeds.

In that drawing:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section of the insertion die in open position, with the tag ring element and container wall being properly positioned ready for the securing operation;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the upper die assemy;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken on line 33 of FIG. 2 and including a section of a tag ring element and the support therefore, showing one of the spring pins approaching the eyelet in the tag ring element;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the spring pin already received in the tag ring element eyelet;

FIG. 5 is a vertical section of substantially all of the die mechanism showing the closure flange in secured position in the container wall opening and curled over at its upper end to retain the fully formed tag ring element in place;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4, but showing a modified form of embossing ring for holding a tag ring element in place therein;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the embossing ring of FIG. 6.

Considering first the closure flange and invention tag ring element, such being the articles which the apparatus of the invention is concerned, FIG. 1 shows a conventional closure flange 1 comprising a cylindrical neck 2 having an upper unthreaded portion 3 and an internally threaded lower portion 4 surrounded by an octagonal base 5. An annular gasket 6 surrounds the cylindrical neck at the juncture of the threaded lower portion 4 and the flange base 5. The tag ring element 7 is formed as a flat blank having a circular inner free edge 8 bordering a central opening and terminating in outermost octagonal free edge 9. A series of eyelets 10, as shown in FIG. 7, are formed in the tag ring element 7 adjacent the free edge 9 at the corners of the octagon.

The insertion die into which the closure flange and tag ring element are fed comprises lower and upper die sub-assemblies. The lower die sub-assembly 50, as clearly illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 5, has a lower die shoe 51 for mounting on a punch press bolster plate (not shown) and is provided with a central aperture 52. A tubular flanging punch 53 is centrally supported on the die shoe 51 with its lower end extending into the aper ture 52. A series of coil compression springs 54 interacting between the die shoe 51 and a circumferentially enlarged lower portion 55 of the flanging punch 53 resiliently urge the flanging punch upwardly. An annular support 56 surrounds the flanging punch 53 and has a radially inwardly projecting ledge 57 which limits the upward movement of the flanging punch 53. An annular lower anvil 58 surrounds an intermediate portion of the flanging punch 53 above the enlarged lower portion 55 thereof and is secured to the supporting ring ledge 57. An annular compression ring 59 having an octagonal interior surface 64 surrounds the anvil 58 extending vertically thereabove thus forming a circumferential recess 60 about the flanging punch 53 spaced below its upper end. A series of vertical pins 61 seated on coil compression springs 62 resiliently urge the compression ring 59 upwardly with respect to the die shoe 51. An inwardly projecting lip 63 at the upper end of the support 56 limits upward movement of the compression ring 59.:

The upper die sub-assembly 70 has an upper die shoe 71 mounted on the ram of a punch press (not shown). A perforafi'iig punch 72 is centrally mounted on the upper die shoe 71 in vertical concentric alignment with the flanging punch 53. An annular curling anvil 73 surrounding the perforating punch 72 is provided with an annular concave curling anvil surface 74 vertically spaced above the lower end of the perforating punch 72. An embossing ring 75 surrounds the curling anvil 73 and is resiliently urged downwardly by a series of coil compression springs 76 surrounding mounting bolts 76a and acting between the embossing ring and the die shoe 71. The embossing ring 73 terminates in a lowermost downwardly facing embossing surface 77 normally disposed in a horizontal plane intermediate the curling anvil surface 74 and the lower end of the perforating punch 72. The surface 77 terminates radially inwardly ina short vertical wall 78 having an octagonal configuration. From the wall 78 the embossing surface extends by way of a radiused juncture portion 80 into an upper embossing surface 79 extending radially inwardly.

The operation of the insertion die described above in the inserting of the flange and tap ring element is as follows: Through the use of article handling mechanisms (not shown) a closure flange 1 is seated about the flanging punch 53 within the octagonal wall 64 and onto the lower anvil 58. Similarly the tag ring element 7 is seated up within the embossing ring surface 79 in oriented nested relationship within the octagonal wall 78. Various friction fit and spring pin arrangements may be employed for holding the tag ring element within the embossing ring, the details of which will be further described hereinafter.

As shown in FIG. 1, a container wall 90, such as the head of a SS-gallon steel drum, is then positioned in the die by suitable guides (not shown) readying the press for cycling to effect the insertion stroke. As that stroke proceeds the upper die sub-assembly 70 closes on the lower die sub-assembly 50 and the perforating punch 72 as seen in FIG. 5, punches out a slug leaving an opening defined by a circular edge 91 in the container wall. The container wall, about the opening 91, seats on the end of the flanging punch 53 which remains extended at this point as the perforating force is not great enough to overcome the resistance of compression springs 54.

As the perforating punch moves downward, the slug is pushed out of the die through the center of the flanging punch. The embossing ring surface 77 pushes the container wall against the lower anvil 59 which also moves downwardly as the resistance offered by springs 62 is overcome. The drum wall metal immediately surrounding the opening 91, together with the overlying tag ring element portion adjacent the inner edge 8 thereof, are drawn upwardly around the flange body while the embossing ring surface 79 forces the peripheral portion of the tag ring element downwardly.

In FIG. 5, the embossing ring is shown at the lower limit of its travel with the upper surface of the compression ring 59in horizontal alignment with the upper surface of the anvil 58. In this position of the die the embossing surfaces 77 and 79 on embossing ring 75 form the container wall 90 with an embossment 92 closely overlying the flange base 5 and terminating in an upwardly formed neck 93 closely surrounding the flange neck 2. The tag ring element 7 is at the same time completed by being made to conform to and closely overlie the underlying container wall neck 93 and the upper surface of the embossment 92. The radiused juncture portion 80 of the embossing ring forms the tag ring element outer edge 9 somewhat downwardly over the periphery of the container wall embossment. It is also seen in FIG. 5 how the curling anvil surface 74 on the curling anvil 73 contacts the uppermost unthreaded neck portion 3 of the flange 1 and turns the neck 3 radially outwardly and downwardly over the upwardly facing container wall opening edge 91 and the tag ring element inner edge 8, into a tightly closed bead which permanently secures the flange and the tag ring element about the container wall opening with the gasket 6 blocking off any possible leakage path between the flange and the container wall.

FIGS. 2 through 4 show the details of the embossing ring 75 for retaining the tag ring element 7, in the upper die sub-assembly 70. A pair of spring loaded retaining pins 81 are mounted for reciprocating movement in the embossing ring 75 and project downwardly and slightly radially inwardly from the embossing surface 79 at a slight angle to the vertical. Each of the spring loaded pins 81 is resiliently urged toward extended position by a light coil compression spring 82 held in place in a bore behind the pin end by a set screw 83. The pins 81 are located in the embossing surface 79 at diametrically spaced positions at the corners of the octagon so as to line up with the tag ring eyelets 10.

In operation when the tag ring element 7 is pushed up within the octagonal embossing ring wall 78, the free ends of the pins 81 first strike the inner edge of the eyelets and partially retract. Continued upward movement of the tag ring element retracts the pins to a position where their free ends slip through the eyelets and hold the tag ring element in place against the embossing ring juncture portion 80 as seen in FIG. 4. Disengagement of the pins 81 from the eyelets 10 takes place by the action of the die closing and forcing the pins 81 back up to a fully retracted position within the embossing ring.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show a modified embossing ring 175 which provides for retention of an octagonal tag ring element 7 by friction fit engagement in place of the spring pins above described. To accomplish this, the embossing ring 175, like the embossing ring 75 of the principal embodiment, has a lower embossing surface 177 surrounding an octagonally shaped vertical inner wall 178 which is in turn joined to an upper embossing surface 179 by a radiused juncture portion 180. Two diametrically opposed flats of the octagonal wall 178 have downwardly and radially inwardly tapered portions 181 so dimensioned that the distance between the lower ends of the tapered portions 181 is slightly less than the dimension across the flats of the tag ring element. Accordingly, as the tag ring element 7 is pushed up into the embossing ring 175, that element is slightly flexed across the two flats engaging the tapered embossing ring portions 181. This allows the tag ring element to snap within the embossing ring wall 178. The holding effect here is adequate to retain the tag ring element 7 within the embossing ring during the insertion stroke. Once the tag ring element is formed into a neck and base and is permanently held in place by the flange curl 8, as in the FIG. 5 showing, its outer free edge 9 readily snaps past the restricted tapered sections 181 as the die opens.

Having described our invention what we claim as new and seek to protect by Letter Patent is:

1. Apparatus for simultaneously securing a closure flange and a tag ring element to a container wall in a single punch press operation comprising a lower die sub-assembly, means in said lower die sub-assembly for supporting a closure flange having an upstanding cylindrical neck with an unthreaded upper portion and an internally threaded lower portion surrounded by a polygonal base. an upper die sub-assembly operatively positioned above said lower die sub-assembly, means in said upper die sub-assembly for releasably retaining an annular tag ring element, and means for positioning a container wall between said upper and lower die subassemblies whereby downward closing of said upper die sub-assembly permanently secures said closure flange and said tag ring element about an opening formed in said container wall.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1, and said releasably retaining means including diametrically opposed tag ring element gripping surfaces.

3. Apparatus as in claim 1 and said releasably retaining means including spring loaded pins engaging portions of said tag ring elements. 

1. Apparatus for simultaneously securing a closure flange and a tag ring element to a container wall in a single punch press operation comprising a lower die sub-assembly, means in said lower die sub-assembly for supporting a closure flange having an upstanding cylindrical neck with an unthreaded upper portion and an internally threaded lower portion surrounded by a polygonal base, an upper die sub-assembly operatively positioned above said lower die sub-assembly, means in sAid upper die sub-assembly for releasably retaining an annular tag ring element, and means for positioning a container wall between said upper and lower die sub-assemblies whereby downward closing of said upper die subassembly permanently secures said closure flange and said tag ring element about an opening formed in said container wall.
 2. Apparatus as in claim 1, and said releasably retaining means including diametrically opposed tag ring element gripping surfaces.
 3. Apparatus as in claim 1 and said releasably retaining means including spring loaded pins engaging portions of said tag ring elements. 